Baby Blues
by BettyHT
Summary: A sequel to Christmas Comes Only Once a Year. The first chapter in this tragedy is a prologue that overlaps the ending of the first story. Adam and Hoss each await the arrival of their first child while events happen around them that will have a major impact on one of them as Sally comes back with a plan to get some money from the Cartwrights in exchange for what she has to offer.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 Prologue**

The dust of five hundred cattle can hang in the air for a long time. It clings to everything and gets in the eyes, nose, ears, and throat even with hats and bandanas for protection. Every cattle drive Adam did, he swore it took several baths before he began to feel that the dust and dirt was finally washing out of all the places it liked to lodge. He began to feel clean after the second bath but he took another bath the day after because it felt good to be clean and it was relaxing too. His muscles were sore after four weeks on the trail and that was after over a week of roundup. Hoss and Joe teased him about his addiction to bathing but he noted that they had spent quite a bit of time in the baths too, He and Hoss had headed to a fine restaurant that first night while Joe went with the drovers to a saloon and celebrated the successful drive. Adam had an appointment the second day with an architectural firm that was considering hiring him for some work. He knew his skills were rusty and that he would have to work his way up, but he had been doing a lot of reading over the years and had practiced quite a lot of the newer techniques in building his house including some of the more modern features in it. If this didn't work out, he planned to try starting up a small business of his own in Nevada. By the end of the day when he met with Hoss, he could only tell him that he interview had gone about as well as he could expect. They told him they would let him know within a month. That too was about what he had expected. They were going to check him out. He would not have expected any less from a reputable firm. He felt all right about that though. If they were going to take the time to check him out, they were at least interested in him. Hoss had the same thought. They went in search of their younger brother to see if he was ready for dinner.

As Hoss and Adam walked through downtown Sacramento, they were spotted by Sally who watched them from the upper floor of a rooming house where she had rented several rooms months earlier. Her funds weren't adequate for anything better, but seeing Hoss walking with his brother, she had an idea. She looked across the room at her servant girl, a pregnant girl willing to work for room and board.

"Myrtle, ever since that beast of a man had his way with you, you've wanted to get even with him, haven't you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I have. He hurt me, and he never had my say so to do what he did. He just did what he wanted no matter what I said and the men with him laughed when I screamed."

"Men are like that. Men take. You have to force them to give you anything you want. Right now I saw two men who have a lot to give. And you might have a way of getting them to give it. Didn't you say the man who attacked you was big and light."

"Yes, he was. Blond he was and he had baby blue eyes, but he had black evil in his heart which I would have cut from his chest if I had a knife and he ever went to sleep."

"I would have cut his heart out too. It really isn't so hard to cut a man's heart."

"Have you done it?"

With a smirk and a bit of pride, Sally boasted. "I did. There was a man who hurt me, and I hurt him. Then I took his wallet. I'm using his money to live here. He had a lot of money in that wallet. He hurt me, but he made a mistake and fell asleep."

"But the evil brute who attacked me didn't. He left me hurting and crying and rode out of town. How could I ever find him to get even with him?"

"You probably can't, but does it matter? Men are men. As long as you get revenge does it matter who the man is? And if we get a lot of money in the process, it's even better, isn't it?"

"Well, I guess so. When you say it like that, it makes a lot of sense to me."

"Then here's the plan. It's going to take some time, and in the meantime, we have to stay here. I'm going to start wearing a pillow under my dress, and you're going to have to stay in this room most of the time. You can't go out where people can see your condition. I know they probably can't tell yet, but soon they could. Some might even notice now. You were already with child when I got here, weren't you?" Myrtle nodded. "Then that's going to work in my favor. When you have that baby, I'm going to take it to that big blond blue-eyed Cartwright and tell him it's his baby. I'll tell him he can have it for the right amount of money. Then when he hands over the money, we hand over the baby, and we start living well. How about that for a plan?"

"I have to give him my baby?"

"You want to keep the baby that the ugly brute forced into you?"

"No, but why would I want another ugly brute to have him?"

"He's getting married in June. His wife would have the baby. Does that help?"

"That's all right then. I just didn't want a man to have him. That wouldn't be right."

"This may take some time. We need the baby to be strong enough to make the trip to Virginia City. We should be able to do that by fall."

As Sally and Myrtle plotted, Adam and Hoss found Joe. They had dinner, celebrated a bit with a few drinks but not too many as they planned to ride out the next morning. The trip back was mostly uneventful. The only interesting thing happened when they were in Placerville. They took rooms there because the weather was awful. Thunderstorms with heavy rains had drenched them for two days. They decided to dry out and wait out the storms. Sleeping in a dry bed was certainly more attractive than a damp bedroll under a tarp on wet ground. The next morning, the sun was out and the storms were gone. As they walked to breakfast, they passed the sheriff's office and Joe called to his brothers to stop and walk back to take a look at a wanted poster. Adam laughed.

"They don't still have one of you two wanted for bank robbery, do they?"

Joe was looking at a poster on the wall by the sheriff's office. It was a sketch of a woman. "Look familiar?"

Adam got the resemblance right away. He looked at Hoss who seemed to take longer probably because he had a difficult time making the association. Finally Hoss looked at his two brothers.

"She looks a lot like Sally, don't she?"

"From the drawing and the description, Hoss, that is Sally."

"Adam, it can't be. It says she's wanted for murder. Sally is a lot of things, but I can't believe she would ever murder anyone. Nah, that can't be her."

A man walked up behind them as they were talking. He interrupted Hoss. "Do you know this woman?"

"My brothers thought that she looked like a woman we knew, but it's not her. It can't be her. She would never murder anyone."

"Well, it says suspicion of murder. We can't be sure. The man had a knife in his chest and his wallet was missing. That's why it's suspicion of murder. His brother was here a short time after that and said he wanted his brother's murderer brought to justice, and I gotta say that until we bring her in and talk to her, I have to agree with him that it looks bad."

Adam's interest was piqued by the missing wallet. "How much money was he carrying?"

"The brother estimates that he probably had between five and ten thousand dollars on him. He didn't trust banks and did his business in cash only. Seems like it didn't work out that well for him though. It's what probably got him killed if his brother is right about this woman. Now how do you know her and what's her name?"

"Like I said, she only looks like a woman we knew."

"Hoss, that's Sally. C'mon, Adam's right."

"You two didn't spend as much time with her as I did. She couldn't murder somebody in cold blood. I can't believe she'd do that."

"Hoss, she set out to ruin Presha and she threatened Dolly. How can you defend her? We don't know what she would have done if we didn't stop her. Now maybe she didn't murder this man, but don't you think they have a right to bring her in and question her about it?"

"Dadburnit, I guess so, but it feels bad telling."

"Then Joe and I will tell. You go on to breakfast." Once Hoss moved on toward the restaurant, Adam turned to the man. "I assume you're the sheriff?"

"I'm his deputy, but he's been sick lately and I've been handling most of the work. C'mon in the office so I can write down what you tell me and get your names."

A short time later, Adam and Joe joined Hoss at breakfast. It was a quiet meal. When they finished and were sipping their coffee, Hoss looked at his brothers.

"Ifn she really did that, then I'm really lucky to have gotten away from her. I still find it hard to believe she'd do something like that, but that was her picture, and there's no arguing with the facts. A dead man with a knife in his chest and a missing wallet shur make it look bad. Let's ride on outta here and try to forget about this. Please don't bring this up when we get home. I don't want to be talking about this with the two weddings we got coming up. Let's try to look forward and not back. All right?"

As the three brothers rode out of town, the dead man's brother was summoned to the sheriff's office and given the information that the deputy had received.

"I know it isn't much, but I can send out more specific wanted posters now. I still don't have much money to put on there for a reward, and I can only say wanted on suspicion of murder. We still don't have enough evidence to say it was definitely murder especially by a woman against a man as big as your brother."

"I don't have any more money to give you for the reward. I don't have money like my brother did. That two hundred dollars almost wiped me out. I'm working any job around town to get money to live until I can find the woman who murdered my brother. Now who were the men who gave you that information on her?"

The deputy shared everything he had learned from Adam and Joe Cartwright.

"So she was planning on marrying their brother. Well if she needs help, she might head back that way at some point. I'm going to be looking around for her, and if I don't find her, I may be heading to Virginia City to see if she shows up there. Thank you for all your help."

"Just remember, if you find her, you bring her in for a trial. Don't take the law into your own hands."

"Of course not. I wouldn't think of it." He left then, but the deputy doubted the words he had uttered. He thought that if he ever found that woman, she was going to pay the price for murdering that man's brother because despite his statement that she deserved a trial, the deputy too thought she had done it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 about one year later**

Riding toward Placerville on the way home from another successful drive, the Cartwright brothers were in a good mood. Adam and Hoss were married and anxious to get home. Both of their wives were expecting babies within a few months. Presha was due in less than two months and Dolly in about three months. It had been difficult for the men to be gone but Ben had told them that they wouldn't have to do a fall drive if they did a large spring drive. That had been enough incentive to get them to agree to the spring drive. They would have lots of time to spend with their families before they would be expected to be gone again. Adam was especially anxious to get home to Presha knowing what the doctor had told her before he had left. He unfortunately had shared that information with his brothers one evening when he had been especially depressed about being away from her, and they had not let him forget it since that night. As they neared the town, Hoss was ribbing Adam unmercifully.

"Yup, four weeks before and six weeks after, he ain't gonna get none. He's shur wants to get home in a hurry to use these two weeks or so he's got left. Joe, maybe we oughta spend a day or two in Placerville like we done last time. I'm all for a nice bath and a big steak and sleeping in a nice bed. How about you?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Now Adam wouldn't be thinking all that time about sleeping in his bed next to his wife, would he? His real pretty wife with the nice way she fills out a dress and all."

"Now, Joe, you can't go talking on about another man's wife and how pretty she is and how good she looks especially how she fills out a dress just right in all the good places. It ain't seemly."

Joe snickered as he watched his oldest brother adjust himself in the saddle. That got Hoss' attention and he started his laugh that rumbled low in his belly before it burst out in big guffaws. Adam glowered at both of them.

"You two can stay in Placerville if you want. I'm riding straight through. I can be home in a few days especially if I don't have to listen to the two of you constantly. I can ride faster and harder without you constantly talking about Presha."

Joe started laughing so hard then that he almost fell from his horse. Adam shook his head and rode ahead of his two brothers. As he rode into town, he saw a man stare at him. He didn't know the man and kept riding. Hoss and Joe were laughing so much that they never saw the man who stared at the younger two brothers too. The sheriff stepped out of his office and spoke to the man.

"You thinking of following them to Virginia City?"

"I am. She hasn't shown up anywhere else, and there's been no word on that wanted poster from anyone. I'm sure she must be using a different last name and probably changed her looks some. But if they've got as much money as I've heard, she's probably not done with them. She'll head that way sooner or later. It's been over a year. She's got to be running low by now. Five thousand dollars wouldn't last a woman like that much longer than this. When she gets there, I'll be waiting."

"What if she's already there?"

"All the better."

"I'll send word to the sheriff there if you like."

"No, don't do that. He'll only start asking questions, and if she's in disguise of any kind, she'll spook. No, I'll find her."

"All right, but remember to bring her to the sheriff when you do. He's a good man. He'll see that you get justice for your brother and send her here for trial."

Nodding, the man walked off. Like his deputy, the sheriff doubted the man would ever bring her to the law, but he had seen the man she had likely murdered. He had run into women like that before. They were cold-hearted and probably whatever happened to her was well deserved. It was going to happen in Nevada anyway so it wasn't his problem. The man had saved up a few hundred dollars. He had a stake to keep him in Virginia City for quite a while. He planned to get a job there and wait for Sally to show up. He had no doubt that she would. She followed money, and from everything that he had learned, the Cartwrights had a lot of that. He was sure that she was going to be after some of it as soon as she finished spending his brother's money. He headed to the stage office to buy a ticket. He was heading to Virginia City.

In Sacrameto, in a small house on the outskirts of town, Sally and Myrtle made plans for the move to Virginia City. They had spent a difficult year. The pregnancy and delivery had been very difficult for Myrtle because the baby had been very large. Myrtle had nearly died in the delivery and had been in bed for months afterwards. She nursed the baby, and Sally was forced to create a whole scenario to explain her maid caring for her child while she did the shopping and brought food to their rooms for them. On one such trip, she had passed the sheriff's office and saw a wanted poster with her first name and a reasonable but crude sketch of her with a two hundred dollar reward. Somehow she had been connected to the murder of that dreadful man in Placerville. She had thought that she had managed to avoid being seen with him, but someone must have noticed them together at some point. She ended up buying some nondescript clothing and a wig. With Myrtle's help, she managed to change her appearance enough that no one would have recognized her from that sketch. She knew though that she had to leave California so her plan to get money from the Cartwrights for the baby took on paramount importance. However the baby became ill and that delayed their departure for Virginia City even longer until it was winter and they couldn't travel across the mountain passes. Traveling by train with those posters out was too risky too. She decided that waiting until spring was her best bet. By then both the baby and Myrtle would be stronger. In fact, she guessed that the baby might be nearly ready to walk by then and she could imagine Hoss not being able to resist him. He also could be weaned by then. He was eating quite a bit of solid food already by January. The more that Sally watched Myrtle feed him and play with him, the more she wondered if she really needed Myrtle as part of this deal. Once that baby was in Hoss' hands, perhaps she could eliminate her as well. Fifty thousand dollars would go much further if she was the only one spending it. As she and Myrtle talked about the move to Virginia City, Myrtle sealed her fate as far as Sally was concerned.

"Sally, maybe once we get the money from Hoss Cartwright, we could ask to have one more day with Eric. Then we could just leave with him. We'd have the money and the baby."

Doing her best not to show her shock, Sally tried to be reasonable. "If Hoss believes that's his baby, he wouldn't stop at anything, and none of his family would stop either, until they found him. You could never keep him if they thought he was a Cartwright."

"Then maybe I don't want to do this."

"Myrtle, did you forget who that baby's father is? He's from an evil man. He has that evil man in him. You would be raising the devil's spawn. Who knows what he would do when he grew up."

"But I could teach him up right. Maybe he wouldn't be like that man."

"But he could be and you would be responsible for what he did to women like that man did to you."

"But if I leave him with the Cartwrights, ain't it the same thing? He'll still grow up evil ifn he was gonna grow up evil only I won't be there to try to stop it."

"Myrtle, we've talked about this. The best thing for Eric is to give him to the Cartwrights. They're the best ones to be able to control him. They've got the money for the best doctors if he needs it. They could keep him from hurting women. You couldn't stop him if he tried. Look how big he is already. When he's a man, he could toss you aside like you weren't even there. He could be very dangerous. At least the Cartwrights are big men and could control him."

"I don't know. It just seems like it might be the wrong thing to do. He's such a sweet boy. He plays so nice. He's never no trouble at all."

"Maybe he is now, but what happens when he's older and starts liking women?"

"I don't know."

"You know how men change when they want women. You've seen how boys change when they become men."

"I guess so. I'm just not so sure we're doing the right thing any more."

"It's the right thing. Trust me. Once we have the money, if you change your mind, then we can do what you said. All right?"

With a big grin, Myrtle nodded. Thinking she was happy with him, Eric clapped his hands and smiled too. Sally only sighed in relief. It was a small glitch in her plans but one she thought that she could handle quite easily.

On the Ponderosa, the brothers arrived home and Adam rode to his house entering to find Presha in the kitchen. He smiled and she grabbed him in a hug as he wrapped his arms around her as well as he could with her stomach coming between them. He took advantage of his height though and managed to kiss her with some of the passion he had been holding inside for well over a month. He pulled away only long enough to whisper hoarsely to her.

"Let's go to the bedroom. I'd say we could do it right here, but I know in your condition, the bed would be more comfortable."

"Adam, we can't."

"Lord, woman, don't say that. I've been thinking of almost nothing else for that past week at least."

"No, Dolly is here and she's very upset."

Stepping back, Adam looked down at Presha who did her best to calm down as well.

"Upset about what?"

"I probably shouldn't tell you, but you're going to find out soon enough. Her baby's heartbeat is weak and the baby isn't kicking and moving like ours. Adam, something might be very wrong. She was crying, and I came in here to make some tea when I heard you ride up. Now I should go back to her. Please understand."

"I do. Hoss is headed to the main house though. We should probably get her back there so she can talk to him. I'll go get her carriage ready."

"She doesn't have the carriage here. Ben dropped her off because he didn't want her by herself. He said he would come back for her before dinner."

"I'll hitch up our carriage then if you want, if she wants. Why don't you ask her? I'll wait for her answer."

Dolly wanted to go home to speak with Hoss and she didn't want to do that. She knew she had to though so her answer was a yes. After hitching up his carriage, Adam helped her into it and then helped Presha sit beside her. Presha wrapped an arm around her and held her for the short trip to the main house. When they got there, they were greeted by a grinning Hoss who quickly lost his grin when he saw the grim look on Adam's face. He saw how unhappy Dolly looked as well. Adam got out of the carriage first.

"Dolly needs to speak with you. She has some bad news so you need to take her inside where it's private. Hoss, be gentle with her. She's very fragile right now."

"I always am, but what do you know that I don't?"

"It's for Dolly to tell you. Hoss, I'm sorry. We can talk tomorrow if you want, or anytime you want. I'm here if you need me."

With an arm around his wife and a worried glance back at Presha and Adam, Hoss guided Dolly into the house and up the stairs to their room. Except to get some tea and biscuits, he didn't come back downstairs until the next morning. Ben and Joe knew that there was something very wrong, but Ben had suspected something was wrong especially with the visits that Doctor Martin had been making to the house and the grim look he had after those visits. He had told Ben that the couldn't divulge the results of his examinations to him because that was up to Dolly and eventually would be up to Hoss when he got home, but Ben knew that the news was bad. He didn't know though if it was about Dolly, the baby, or both. He and Joe had to wait until the next morning to find out.

4


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

An hour later, Adam and Presha arrived back at their home. Adam helped her down from the carriage, up the steps, and into their home. He had her sit on the couch and put her feet up. "I'll be back as soon as I get the horses in the stable. You rest. I can see how difficult this has been for you." Adam hurried with his tasks. When he returned to the house, Presha was in the kitchen. "I thought I told you to stay on the couch."

"I wanted some tea, and you make dreadful tea. As soon as I have my tea, I'll go back. You don't have to fuss so much. I know to be careful. Doctor Martin has given me all of the instructions."

"I'm sorry. The news about Hoss' baby affected me."

"I thought it would. Adam, I'm fine and our baby is fine. In fact, he kicks a lot."

"So it's a boy?"

"I think so because no girl would give her mother so much trouble especially when I want to sleep at night. Then he gets very rambunctious and really starts kicking. I'll let you feel that tonight. In fact, he never wants me to rest. Every time I sit for any length of time, he starts kicking. You'll see."

"He wants out of there."

"He probably does but he has to wait a while yet unless I got the weeks wrong."

"Got the weeks wrong?"

"Doctor Martin thinks I might be a bit further along than I think I am. He thinks I might be at eight months instead of just over seven months."

"But that means?"

"Yes, tonight is the night and then that's it." Presha took her cup of tea and walked out to sit on the couch as Adam stood open mouthed in shock before following her. He sat beside her, and as she predicted, she soon took his hand and placed it where he could feel some very energetic kicking. "I think he might be a tall one too."

That night, Adam and Presha went to bed early. Adam held back what he wanted to do and made sure that their lovemaking lasted until both were well satisfied. Afterwards, he pulled Presha to him spoon fashion and ran his hand over her swollen belly.

"He's not kicking now."

"He doesn't kick usually when I'm active. It's whenever I try to rest that he kicks. I talked to Mrs. Sanders who helps Doctor Martin deliver babies sometimes. She has a theory. She says when I'm active, it's like rocking a baby to sleep. He sleeps so he doesn't kick. When I try to rest, he's not rocking so he wakes up and then he's busy playing in there and starts kicking."

"That makes sense."

"I like that. The skin is so tight it itches. I have some oil to rub on it to soften the skin, but it still itches."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Well, I can't reach my feet any more. Would you mind rubbing my feet a little?"

"I would love to rub your feet. I've missed touching you and being with you. Anything you ask is fine with me." Adam pulled the covers away from their feet and turned himself so he could rub her feet. After a short time, he was going to ask her how he was doing until he heard her soft breathing and knew she had fallen asleep. He assumed then that he was doing a good job. He pulled the covers back over her feet and moved back into a spoon position with his wife content to hold her against him. That night, Presha woke up several times and had to use the water closet. Each time Adam rubbed her neck and shoulders or her back and her calves to help her relax and fall asleep. In the morning when she awakened, Adam was up and shaving. When he saw that she was awake, he was at her side immediately offering his help.

"You're spoiling me, but I have to say that was the best night of sleep that I've had in a month. He likes you being here. I certainly love having you back."

"I won't be gone now for a long time. I'll be here to help as much as you need me."

"Good. A family should be together." Adam had a serious look then, and Presha guessed what he was thinking. "You're worried about Hoss and Dolly, aren't you?"

"Hoss was so excited about having a baby. He talked about what he was going to do with his first child. Now it looks like that might not happen."

"It will happen, but probably not now. If Doctor Martin is right, this baby isn't likely to make it."

"It's that bad?"

Hoss had learned it was that bad the night before. Dolly had told him through her tears. "I know the baby isn't moving. I heard Presha complaining about how her baby was always kicking her, and I kept waiting for ours to kick me and it didn't happen. I finally asked Doctor Martin about it and that was the first thing that got him to have that worried look. He took out that thing he uses to listen and then he looked even more worried. He said the baby was quiet. I told him I wasn't getting any bigger and Presha kept getting bigger and bigger. He asked if I was eating and I said I ate very well with Hop Sing here. He knew Hop Sing would make sure I had good meals. He kept checking and then two days ago he gave me the worst of the news. He said the heartbeat should have been getting stronger but was suddenly getting much weaker and slower. He's afraid the baby won't make it and there's nothing he can do. He said there's nothing anybody can do."

"Darling, I don't know what to say. I know how important this was to you."

"Oh, Hoss, I know how important it was to you. I'm so sorry to disappoint you."

"You haven't disappointed me. God decided, I guess, that it wasn't time for us to have a baby. I wish he hadn't picked this way to tell us. It's gonna be awful hard on you."

"Yes, and awful hard on you too. Hoss, this is the hardest thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know how I'm even going to tell my parents. I told Presha, but I haven't even told your father all of it yet. I can't bear to see the pain when he finds out."

"I know. It's gonna be so hard on everybody. I'll tell Pa and Joe. You won't have to. Then if you want, I'll go tell your family too."

"No, I should be with you for that, but I do appreciate that you would help me with that. It's going to be terrible to have to say it out loud. I'm going to have to say the words. I don't know if I can, but they have to be said. I have to tell them that our baby is dying before our baby ever got to live."

And Dolly had started crying and Hoss couldn't stop his own tears from joining hers as he held her. They finally fell into an exhausted sleep late that night. In the morning, red eyed and tired, they got up and dressed. Hoss told Dolly to rest for a while so he could go downstairs and tell his father and brother the news. He guessed that Presha would tell Adam. When he told his father, Ben surmised that the next month or so was going to be awkward with Adam and Presha experiencing joy at the impending birth of their first child. Ben couldn't deny that he would felt that same joy anticipating the arrival of his first grandchild. However the joy would be tempered by the sorrow that Hoss and Dolly would be mourning the loss of their child and in a particularly unpleasant way. Dolly would likely carry the lifeless body of her child for some time before her body went into labor and delivered the lifeless child. All the pain would be for nothing as the child would be buried upon its arrival. It was clear from what Hoss told them that the child was not going to survive because with the weak heart even if the baby lived until the time of labor, the strain of delivery would take what was left of its strength. The baby could no survive. Dolly had known that even with the carefully worded things that Doctor Martin had said. When she had repeated those things to Hoss, he had known too. Their child would be stillborn.

Meanwhile the child who looked quite a lot like Hoss and carried his name even though he was no relation to him was getting ready to leave Sacramento with Sally and Myrtle. Sally had planned a circuitous route to Virginia City because she could not risk going through Placerville or any town near there nor did she want to travel by train and the possibility of being seen by so many people when there were wanted posters out for her in California. She knew it would take her much longer to get to Virginia City and it would be more expensive, but coming in from the east of Virginia City should make it less likely that anyone would think that she was the infamous Sally who had been so thoroughly humiliated by those Cartwrights and the two women the older sons had married. She wished there was a way to get revenge as well as the money, but thought that under the circumstances, the money would have to do. With her blond wig, Eric looked more like her son and she was starting to try to act more like a mother, but the boy didn't seem to like her much. She tried to play with him, but he insisted on doing things his way which made her angry. When he wouldn't do things her way when they played, she got upset with him. He would pout then and refuse to play until Myrtle would take over again. Sally knew that she was going to have to do a better job if she was going to convince Hoss that she was the boy's mother. The other option was to get rid of Myrtle sooner. She began to consider that option because then Eric would have to turn to her for everything.

On the Ponderosa, Adam told Presha that he had to go see Hoss. "He's probably not going to want to talk much."

"That's all right. He doesn't have to talk much."

"Don't take him from Dolly's side if she needs him."

"I won't. I know she needs him there."

Adam left then, and Presha worried. She knew he was sensitive and kind, but she knew that he had good news while Hoss had gotten the worst news. She was afraid that it might not be the best thing for Hoss to have to face that. She need not have worried. When Adam got to the main house, Hoss was outside leaning on the corral fence staring out over the pastures and up at the mountains. Adam dismounted and tied his horse to the rail. He walked up beside Hoss and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. Hoss nodded in response but said nothing. Adam looked to where Hoss was gazing. They stood there for a long time. Inside the house, Joe looked out the window several times at his silent brothers standing at the corral fence.

"Pa, they're not saying anything. Adam has his hand on Hoss' shoulder, and they're just standing there."

"Don't worry, Joe. Those two have been like that for a long time. They give comfort to each other that way. They're fine."

Eventually Hoss turned to Adam. "Thanks, Adam. I should get back inside to see how Dolly is doing. She needs me. I should be with her."

"Yes, I would think that's true. I'll head on home then."

After Adam mounted up and rode toward home, Hoss walked inside. "I'm going up to be with Dolly. Adam was here, but he headed back home."

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

For several weeks, Doctor Martin made regular trips to the Ponderosa. Each time Ben was hopeful that he would have better news for Hoss and Dolly, but it wasn't to be so. The news was more and more grim until the dreaded words were spoken. Ben knew they were coming when he heard the sobbing from upstairs and Hoss' entreaties to his wife calling her name as he tried to soothe her even as his own heart was breaking. Doctor Paul Martin came trudging down the stairs a short time later.

"I'm sorry, Ben. I knew it would take a miracle, but sometimes you Cartwrights have managed to do that."

"But not this time?"

"No, I'm so sorry to say that not this time. There is no heartbeat. The baby has passed."

"But, the baby is still inside."

"Yes, unfortunately, Dolly's body hasn't yet determined that it's over. It could be weeks yet before her body goes into labor to expel the baby."

"My, God, can't you do something?"

"There's little that I can do safely. I have done what I could. I'll tell you what she can do and I'll come back to talk with her tomorrow. She's much too upset to listen now. She can walk as much as she is comfortable doing, and she can do as many things standing as possible. She can do all those things that we generally tell women not to do in that last month. She can lift and carry, climb stairs, and those kinds of things. I can do a few things to try to stimulate labor, and I'll tell Hoss what he can do. But, Ben, the bottom line is that her body will do what it's going to do on its own schedule. We can try to encourage the labor, but anything that will force the labor is dangerous to Dolly's health. Hoss has lost his baby. I don't think he wants to risk his wife."

"No, of course he wouldn't, but I'm thinking of how awful it will be to have to carry the child when you know it has already died. It has been terrible for them knowing how sick the baby was, but now it must be horrible."

"I've never had this happen like this but I have read of cases where it has happened. Sometimes women have had to carry a baby like this for months. I don't think that will be the case here. I think though that it could be a few weeks. It's going to be a very stressful time. Presha and Adam are in the last week of waiting too. She is very close to delivery. I'm heading there when I leave here. I'll be stopping in to see her every few days too now. Her baby has gotten quite large, and she is very small. I'm worried about her too, but you know I can't show any of that worry over there."

"I know. Adam already looks like he hasn't been sleeping. He's worried, and I think Presha is scared."

"I think it might be best if I ask them to have a midwife from town stay with them. They may need some help before I can get there. Margaret Saunders has been helping with some of the more difficult cases. I think she would be willing to spend the rest of the week there. If they agree, I'll ask her to go there. You might want to send someone there too. If it happens, Adam isn't going to be able to ride for help. He'll be needed there. They'll need someone to send."

"Those are good ideas, Paul. I'll see if I can do anything for Hoss and Dolly, and then I'll head over to Adam's place with you."

When Paul and Ben arrived at Adam's place, Adam looked relieved to have someone else with whom to share the load. He had obviously not been sleeping well. Ben asked him about that when Paul went to examine Presha.

"Presha can't sleep. I rub her feet and legs or her back and shoulders until she can fall asleep. Then she's awake again in two hours and we go through it all again. When she does sleep, she tosses and turns instead of having a restful sleep. In the morning, she's so exhausted that she has to stay in bed."

"But you have to get up and get things done, and you've had less sleep than she has." Adam nodded. "Not for the next week. Stay here. Paul will send that midwife out, and she can take over some of the work, but you need to be with your wife, and you need to get some rest. You could get sick as exhausted as you are. We have enough problems at the house without having you sick here."

"What happened? Is it the baby?"

"Yes, Paul couldn't hear a heartbeat of any sounds at all this morning. The baby has passed, but the worst part is that Dolly may have to carry that baby for weeks yet before she can deliver it."

"There must be something he can do."

"Not without a risk to Dolly's health. At this point, the safest thing is to wait."

Neither man could imagine how awful that was going to be for Hoss and Dolly. Meanwhile, Paul told Presha about the midwife as Ben explained that he was sending a man to stay at Adam's place.

"I know you're not far away, but Paul said that when your baby starts to come, you'll be needed here so you should have someone else to ride for help. I'll find one of the men who can help out over here and sleep over here at night so you have someone when you need him."

"Thank you, Pa. I hadn't thought of that, but it's a good idea."

It was another week before Presha went into labor. It was in the early morning hours and the precautions proved to be wise. The midwife and Adam spent the first six hours with her before Paul arrived. He had been at one of the mines tending to some men hurt in an accident. Then it was ten more hours of labor before the baby arrived. Presha was exhausted, but the delivery was without any major complications. Adam had spent those ten hours waiting with Joe and his father and worrying. He finally got to relax when Paul called him up the stairs to meet his son. They had heard him crying loudly for fifteen minutes before that.

"He's not fond of the long labor and it's taking a while to calm him, but he's a healthy one. Presha is doing fine too. Everything is fine, Adam."

"Thank you, Paul."

"Margaret will stay until tomorrow to help you through what needs to be done. I'll be back in a few days to check on both your son and your wife. Go in now and meet your son."

Adam pushed the door open just as Margaret was gathering up linens to launder. She smiled at him and left the room. Presha was pale and her hair was damp, but Margaret had helped her put on a clean gown, and had put clean bedding on the bed. She held a bundle in her arms and was humming softly but the babe was still squalling quite loudly and probably couldn't even hear her humming.

"We got a loud one. Would you like me to try to quiet him down? I had some luck with Little Joe when he was small. I used to sing to him. Marie taught me songs to sing to babies, and I still remember most of them."

"Please do. I'm feeling a bit helpless here. Margaret said he would tire and stop crying but it hasn't happened yet."

Adam picked up his son and smiled at the red face. He rocked his son gently and began to sing. Almost immediately the crying diminished and then stopped. Presha smiled.

"I guess he needed someone louder than he was. Are we still going to name him Thomas Adam Cartwright?"

"If you still want that name, we will."

"It's a good name. I still like it."

"Can I ask Pa and Joe to come up and see Thomas?"

As soon as Presha nodded, Adam turned to the door but he didn't have to call out for his father and brother. They had been waiting and heard him ask Presha. They were at the door almost immediately to see the newest Cartwright.

"Geez, Adam, he's a big one."

"Joe, he's not so big as long. I guess he'll be tall which does surprise me."

"Why? You're tall." With a pause, Joe smiled as he looked at Presha still sitting in the bed. "I guess it is a bit of a surprise after all." With an impish grin, he couldn't help adding a little teasing. "Heck, he's almost taller than his mother now."

"Joseph!"

"Oh, Pa, we gotta do a little laughing and teasing around here. It's like a funeral at the house. Hoss and Dolly don't even hardly talk."

"They have a hard thing to face every hour of every day right now."

"I know, but they seem to have forgotten that it's not the only thing going on in their lives. They're both alive and healthy. And now we have a new little Cartwright."

"Yes, we do. What's his name?" Ben knew he needed to get the conversation back to the topic of the new baby.

"I thought you probably heard, Pa, but he's Thomas Adam Cartwright. Presha's father and his father were both Thomas so we're honoring their memory. Thomas is a good name too. Presha wanted him to have my name as well so we agreed that if it was a boy it would be Thomas Adam."

"It's a good name. May I hold my grandson now that you have him quieted down?"

"Then I want to hold him too."

"Certainly not. The grandfather has privileges, but then it is time for him to go back into his mother's arms. We need him to start learning who his mother is and we need him to stay warm. You will have plenty of time to hold him when he gets a bit older." Margaret gave Ben a look that said he had held the baby long enough. Ben handed Thomas back to Adam who placed the baby in Presha's arms as Ben and Joe left the room. Margaret closed the door firmly. She looked at Adam and Presha. "Now, according to Doctor Martin, I have a bit of instructing to do in how you need to care for a newborn babe."

For the next few weeks as Adam and Presha enjoyed their time with their baby and learning to be a family, Ben and Joe were frequent visitors to their house. Even Hop Sing found time to show up at their house to visit and prepare some meals. It was clear that the atmosphere at the main house was so oppressive that they needed to escape. Sadly, Adam knew that Hoss and Dolly could not escape. He and Presha prayed that they would be released from their torment, and finally after two more weeks, they were. Dolly went into labor that was short and relatively easy. The baby had not grown over the last months of the pregnancy so it was small making the delivery easier. She cried for quite a while when it was over. Hoss asked his father and Joe to prepare a coffin for a burial and they said they didn't have to do that. Ben explained why it wasn't necessary.

"Adam made one for you, Hoss. He has a marker carved too with everything except a name. He knew he couldn't be here for you so he did what he could. What name would you like us to tell him to put on the marker?"

With his voice breaking and hoarse, Hoss told them that it had been a little girl. They agreed to call her Lily. "You know, cause a lily is so fragile even a strong wind can knock it over, but it's white and pure. We want her name to be Lily."

"I'll ride on over and tell him, Hoss. Then I'll go dig a grave next to the lake near where my mother is. Would that be all right with you?"

"That would be perfect, Joe. Thank you. I'll tell Dolly. I think she wants to do it already tomorrow morning."

"We'll have everything ready, son. Do you want me to read from the Bible?"

"Yes, Pa. Please read over her for us."

The next morning, there was a small procession to the lake. Dolly's parents had come to offer their daughter their support. Dolly's mother had been at the ranch several times, but as all of them had found, there wasn't anything she could say to help. Roy and Paul joined the family for the small ceremony. Ben read some verses before Joe and Adam placed the small casket into the ground. Each person dropped some dirt into the hole, and then Joe filled in the small hole. Adam set the marker that had Lily, beloved daughter of Hoss and Dolly Cartwright, and the year carved into it. He had carved cherubs and angels into the border of the marker. Hoss and Dolly said nothing, but it was finally over for them. The whole group went back to the house for a meal. They were still all there when a rider came in with a letter for Hoss. He wondered what it could be. He opened it, and stood in shock before handing it to his father who handed it to Adam. Joe read it over Adam's shoulder. Roy asked what it was when he saw the variety of expressions including shock and anger on the Cartwright men. Adam answered once Hoss took Dolly upstairs to talk with her privately.

"Sally's back and claims to have a baby that she says is Hoss'. She's willing to sign over complete custody for fifty thousand dollars."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The rest of the contents of the letter were divulged to Paul and Roy then. Sally said she was in Virginia City under a different name and that Hoss could avoid a scandal by paying the money and taking in the child using any story he wished to use. The next day, she proposed a meeting where Hoss could see the boy if he had ten thousand dollars as a down payment. He could visit with the child and presumably take him to the Ponderosa with him. Her promise was that she would leave and not contest anything he said if he paid the balance. If he didn't pay though, she said she would go to the papers and tell the story to create a scandal and then demand that Hoss support her and the baby in Virginia City creating an ongoing scandalous situation.

"The cold-hearted bitch said she heard about his 'tragic situation' and thinks this would be the 'best solution for all concerned' which means of course that she finally gets her hands on Cartwright money. That's all she wanted right from the start."

Ben was concerned though. "Adam, what if it is Hoss' son?"

"I guess we'll have to ask him if it's possible."

"It must be possible or she wouldn't even be bringing this to us. There has to be a basis for it, and where did she get a baby anyway?"

"She's been gone a long time, Pa. I wouldn't be surprised if she sought out a man to have a baby that she could claim was Hoss' baby."

"I remember her sitting here in this room and saying she never wanted to have a baby because it would ruin her figure. It was one of several reasons that Hoss realized he didn't want to marry her."

Adam and Joe recalled that as did Presha. It didn't make sense to them that Sally would purposely have a baby in order to get money from Hoss when she was so set against having a baby. They would have to wait for Hoss to tell them if it was possible.

Roy asked the most obvious question as far as he was concerned. "Where does she want to meet?"

"She said at the line cabin closest to town."

"Ben, do you want me to be there?"

"No, Roy, I think we can handle this. I don't want to spook her at this point."

Roy asked then if they wanted him to check into anything for them, but they couldn't think of what he might check into until Joe recalled their ride through Placerville a year earlier and the wanted poster they had seen then.

"Hey, remember when we were in Placerville and saw that wanted poster that Adam and I thought was Sally. It said she was wanted on suspicion of murder there. Hoss said it wasn't her, but we gave information to the deputy then. We never heard anything after that."

"Well, I can wire the sheriff there. I know I don't have a wanted poster on any woman, but sometimes those don't get circulated very far if it's only suspicion. Do you remember how much the reward was?"

"No, Adam do you remember?"

"It was two hundred dollars. I thought at the time that it wasn't much, and if they really wanted her, they would have put up more reward money."

"Maybe the sheriff didn't think it was her then. I'll find out what I can. It could be why she took so long getting here and why she's using a different name though."

Ben thanked him for his offer to help and said they would get back to him if they needed any more help with Sally. Roy and Paul left then, and Adam left to take Presha and Thomas home. Ben and Joe waited for Hoss and Dolly to return to talk about the letter from Sally and the meeting that she had indicated she wanted to have the next day. Dolly's parents waited silently not knowing what to think. Their daughter had suffered through so much and they didn't know how this crisis was going to affect her. They could hope that she could weather the storm but she was fragile after losing her baby in such a tragic way. They worried. Ben had one more concern. He asked Joe to ride to town and talk to the bank about getting a bank draft for ten thousand dollars. They would need that the next day.

Upstairs, Hoss told Dolly everything he could think of that related to that letter from Sally. He told her that he had been with Sally once when he must have had too much to drink. He said he woke up with his pants undone and Sally said that they had been intimate. She told Hoss that they had to get married then. He had been embarrassed more than anything and had felt sick to his stomach as well as dizzy. He had made excuses for not committing to anything that night and gone home. He had avoided seeing her for almost a week. When he saw her, he had apologized for his behavior but had not promised marriage. It was then that she had become even more affectionate with him at every chance until the fateful meeting at the house when Presha and Dolly had managed to get Sally to say things that let Hoss know what kind of woman Sally actually was. She had said then that she never wanted to have a baby, and Hoss had ended his relationship with her. Sally had left town and never contacted Hoss to say that she was with child.

"Now, that does seem real odd. Ifn she wanted money from me, she woulda known we woulda given her money ifn she was carrying my child. She never asked for none. It seems real odd, but you never know with Sally. Dolly, I have to go see this boy. I have to see if he looks like me."

Dolly had been silent and staring seemingly at nothing until that point. "What will you do then? Will you bring him here? Will you try to have him take the place of our Lily?"

"Dolly, nobody can ever take the place of our Lily. I'll be thinking on her for the rest of my life. I know you will too, but ifn I let this boy go and he's mine, then I'll be thinking on him for the rest of my life too. I can't lose him too if he's mine. So, yeah, I'll bring him here if he's mine. I know that's gonna be hard on you, but we'll work something out. It's a big house."

"Hoss Cartwright, I'm in mourning, I'm not a devil. If you bring that boy here, I'll help you care for him. I just don't know if I can love him like I should knowing that Sally was his mother."

"I kin understand that. But it ain't the boy's fault now, is it? Well, your ma and you pa are still here. We should go down and talk to them. It's gonna affect them too as grandparents and all."

It seemed to help Dolly to have something on which to focus other than the daughter she had lost. By the time she was walking down the stairs, her parents could see the difference in her. She still was clearly sad, but she no longer looked lifeless. Her mother breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed her husband's hand. Somehow they would all make the best of this difficult situation.

In town, Sally and Myrtle were discussing the meeting about that very difficult situation. Myrtle wanted to go along but Sally had to explain to her several times why she could not go. "If you're there, they're going to doubt that I'm the mother. If they doubt that, they won't pay the money. They have to believe that I'm the mother and that Eric will be better off with them than with me. If they believe that, then they'll pay that money, and we can leave here and live very well."

"But Eric will come with us. I'll still have Eric, right?"

"Yes, of course. Now you do know that they may want to have him stay with them for a few days, don't you?"

"No, you never said nothing about that. You only said you was taking him to the meeting so they could meet him and believe he was that Hoss' boy. You never said they was taking him with them."

"Well, I have to show some good faith. I said in the letter, that if they had ten thousand with them as a down payment, then I would let them visit with Eric."

"I thought that meant just at the meeting. I didn't think that meant they'd take him."

"They're going to think that ten thousand dollars buys more than a few minutes. Now that's reasonable, don't you think. Then when they bring the rest of the money, I'll say I need a little time with him to say goodbye, and that's when we take him and leave. That's a good plan now, isn't it?"

"I guess so. You think they'll let you do that?"

"Of course they will. They'll let him say goodbye to his mother."

"But you're not his mother."

"Yes, but they don't know that."

Listening outside their kitchen window, the stranger nodded. He would wait until the baby wasn't there before he came for the woman who had murdered his brother. It would be better to kill her when the baby wasn't there. He would probably have to tie up the other woman unless she was away from that Sally or perhaps sleeping. He thought about it and decided that nighttime might be the best time. He could be this close before it ever got dark, and then wait until they were sleeping before he made his move. So by this time the next night, he would have justice for his brother if all worked out well. If he was not successful that night, there was always the night after that.

By that evening, Adam was back at the main house because he wanted to know what had been decided. Dolly parents had agreed that if the child was Hoss', they would accept the child as their grandchild because Dolly would accept the child as her own. Ben also would accept the child. Hoss was gratified to have the support of his family. With the bank draft in hand, he was going to meet with Sally and hoped to have the boy on the Ponderosa on the following day. Adam had a question.

"Do we have to pay the full amount? If Hoss is the father, he should be able to claim the right to custody of the child. Any court would see him as a more fit parent than her."

"We did talk about that Adam, and we want her to go away. We know what kind of woman she is. If we don't pay the money who knows what kind of trouble she might try to cause for Hoss and for Dolly. If we pay her, she will go away."

"Until she needs more money."

"I'll make it clear to her that when Hoss pays her that amount, she will sign all the necessary legal papers relinquishing all rights. We'll make sure that Hiram draws up an ironclad agreement."

"She could still carry out her threat to cause a scandal."

"Yes, and we'll live with that. Having the child here will cause enough tongues to wag. We're going to ignore all of that and move forward. People will gossip about us whether they have something concrete on which to base it or not. We're not going to live our lives in fear of gossip."

"All right. Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Bring Presha and Thomas here and stay with Dolly tomorrow. I'm going with Hoss and Joe is going to act as a lookout for us to make sure there are no unwanted visitors just in case she has some associates who plan to try to rob us. He'll have some men with him. I'd like someone here with Dolly too for the same reason. If she's playing some kind of sick trick on us, I want to be ready for her to make a move other than the one she told us about."

"We'll be here. I'll feel better too being with family while this is going on. Maybe we'll stay here until it's all settled."

"That may be the best idea of all. Yes, plan on staying."

The next morning, everything went according to plan. When Sally drove up wearing her wig, Hoss didn't recognize her at first. But when she climbed down from the carriage and then pulled a child down and set him on the ground, Hoss felt as if his heart shuddered. There stood a blond, blue-eyed smiling cherub with round cheeks and a big grin. He looked at Hoss and Ben with undisguised curiosity. Hoss knelt down and put out his arms.

"Eric, I'm Hoss. I'm your Papa."

Eric waddled over to him and grabbed his hands. Hoss was going to pick him up, but Sally stopped him and demanded payment first. Ben stepped forward and gave her the bank draft.

"We didn't have time to get the cash together, but there's a bank draft made out to the bearer. It's the same as cash. You can put that into the bank or exchange it for cash. You'll have to wait a few days to actually get the cash in hand. It would be easier if you put that in the bank and then transferred the funds to a bank in any city of your choosing under any name you wish."

"All right, then you can take Eric for a visit. His things are in this bag." Sally handed over a small valise filled with clothing and diapers as well as some toys. "He likes to sleep with that big sock doll. It gives him comfort. I'll expect the rest of the money by the end of the week. You can pay it the same way, I guess. This should work out just fine."

Ben stepped forward then. "We'll have papers here for you to sign on that day. You will have to give up all legal claim to Eric."

"I will. He'll have a better life with you." Sally climbed back into her carriage and left then.

"Hoss, he does look somewhat like you, but mostly in a general way. I'm not sure he's your son."

"I think he is, Pa. I think he is my son."

Ben wasn't so sure, but he wasn't going to say anything at that point.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Noting how Eric didn't seem to mind Sally leaving, Ben wondered about Eric and Sally. The boy did not resemble his mother at all if Sally was his mother. Even though Eris was blond, blue-eyed, chubby, and big for his age with a wonderful smile, Ben remembered Hoss as a child, and knew that Eric did not look like Hoss either other than in that general sense. He didn't want to throw doubt on Hoss when he had suffered so much loss with Lily, but he dreaded what would happen if Eric turned out not to be his son. He was in a quandary with no idea at all of what to do. All he could do was to follow Hoss' lead at this point, and Hoss wanted to take Eric to the Ponderosa. Eric seemed fascinated by horses so Hoss was using that to get to know the little boy. Ben worried though what would happen when Eric was no longer fascinated with the horses and began to look for his mother. That wasn't an issue though. It seemed that Eric didn't miss his mother at all. That seemed odd to all of them until Presha brought up a point at dinner.

"Perhaps Eric has sensed all along that his mother doesn't want him. He's been well cared for physically. Anyone can see that, but emotionally, we know that Sally doesn't have a heart. How much love has this boy had? Has anyone shown him true love or has he been resented all along?"

About that time, Thomas let it be known that he was hungry. Presha moved to the red leather chair and prepared to nurse her baby. Eric saw what she was doing and he wanted to nurse too. He tried to climb into her lap but Adam had to stop him. He cried and fought against Adam. It was the most emotion that they had seen from him that day. Mostly he had played with anyone who had wanted to play with him. He had sat with anyone who paid attention to him for he seemed to crave attention. He had eaten the food they had given him and drank from glass that had been held for him. However he began screaming for the chance to nurse as he saw Thomas nursing. It upset the baby so much that Adam suggested that Presha ought to go into the guest bedroom and sit in the rocking chair in there. He helped her up and escorted her there after handing off the struggling Eric to Hoss. Eric fought against Hoss then as he wanted to follow Adam and Presha. Ben was concerned.

"He's been weaned but apparently he wasn't ready to be weaned. He was probably weaned because he was big and could eat solid food. He's showing a great desire to be mothered though. It's a very sad situation."

"Maybe I could do it."

That statement from Dolly shocked the three men but especially Hoss. He knew that Dolly had been leaking milk since her labor. Doctor Martin had said her body didn't know what had happened and that it would dry up in time with no stimulation. However, if she tried nursing Eric, then the milk production would probably increase dramatically. That wasn't the most serious concern though. If she started nursing him, then if anything happened to remove him from their custody, she would be completely devastated. Hoss didn't think she could recover from such a loss. He looked to his father.

"Pa, could you hold this whirlwind for a bit. I think me and Dolly got to go talk a bit."

"Hoss, I'm ready to do this."

"Dolly, it's a big step. We should talk it through. Now I ain't gonna tell you what to do. But we're husband and wife. We should both say what we're thinking. Now can we talk?"

About fifteen minutes later, a grim faced Hoss walked down the stairs. "She's bound and determined to do this, Pa. Now, I'm taking Eric up to her."

"Hoss, she probably won't have enough to satisfy a boy his size."

"We kinda guessed that. We'll take a bottle of warm milk too ifn Hop Sing can get one ready for us. We're heading into the wilderness on this one. Ain't got a map and no compass neither with no trail to follow but Dolly says she's sure she knows where we're going."

"How do you feel about this son?"

"Scared, Pa, real scared, but ifn you saw how Dolly looked, you'd know I had no choice. She's got to have this. I guess I knew as soon as I found out about this boy that I had to have him too so I know what she's feeling. There's a hole in my heart and he's just what I need. He's what Dolly needs too. We got all this love to give to a child and he's gonna get it all. I don't know what we woulda done otherwise. The sadness like to turned part of our hearts to stone. He brought that back to life for us. Lily will always be a sorrowful memory, but now we got a joy too."

As Hop Sing delivered the bottle and Hoss headed back upstairs with Eric, Adam came out of the guest room to ask what happened. Ben filled him in on everything. Adam wasn't surprised.

"Hoss needed to give that love. As soon as I knew about that boy, I suspected that Hoss was going to accept him as his son no matter what."

"I'm worried though. What if this is some sort of trick? What if this isn't Sally's baby and she had somehow gotten someone's else's child? What if the real mother comes looking for her baby?"

"Do we know where she's staying?"

"Yes, Joe was able to follow her when she left the line cabin this morning. She's at the old McCullough place on the edge of town. He saw her pull up there and put the horse in the small stable they have. Then she went into the house by the kitchen door. It was clear that she was in charge there. That was her place."

"Maybe I should take a ride over there and have a talk with Sally before Hoss gets too attached to Eric if it isn't too late already."

"That might be a good idea. You could tell her that she gets to keep the money regardless because we only want the truth. I'll even pay her the balance to get the whole truth."

"Do you mean that?"

"Adam, I would pay anything if it meant that Hoss wouldn't get hurt again by this, and if Dolly has to suffer any more torment, I don't know what it will do to her. Yes, I mean it."

"By the time I get there, it will be late. It could be very late before I get back here with her answer."

"That's all right. I don't think we're going to be able to resolve anything tonight anyway."

Adam went back into the guest bedroom to tell Presha what he was doing. Ben could hear some objections but waited until Adam came out. "She doesn't trust Sally and worried about me going over there, but when I said I was offering her money with no strings attached, she agreed that it would be best for Hoss and Dolly. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hours passed though and Adam didn't return. Finally Joe headed out to go to town to see if he could find out what was happening. Ben cautioned him to ride carefully as dusk was near. When Joe got to the McCullough house, Clem was there with two bodies wrapped in blankets. Joe was scared at first because he saw Sport, but quickly realized that neither body was large enough to be Adam.

"Clem, what happened?"

"Joe, we're not exactly sure. Your brother is over at Doctor Martin's office. Roy is with him. You can probably get more of an answer there."

As fast as he safely could, Joe rode for Doctor Martin's office. When he burst through the door there, the expected that Doctor Martin was going to be busy working on Adam. Instead, he found Paul sitting in the front office with Adam and Roy. Adam had a bandage around his head but otherwise appeared unhurt.

"What happened?"

"Now, hold on there, Little Joe. That's what I'm trying to figure out, and I only now got a chance to talk with your brother. You just sit on down there and be quiet, if you please, while I ask Adam some questions here." Turning back to Adam, Roy continued from where he had been interrupted. "All right then, your pa said to offer her the money just to get the truth about who the baby's mama is. Did you ever get to ask her?"

"No, I walked up on the porch, and knocked on the door. I looked in and thought I saw a woman's foot and part of a leg sticking out of the doorway to what I assumed was probably the kitchen. I called in to ask if anyone was hurt and then opened the door. I stepped inside and that was about all I remembered for quite a while until I woke up. Someone must have hit me from behind when I came in the door. I went to the kitchen and saw the two bodies. That's when I went out on the porch and fired the three shots. That made my head pound, but I knew I would never be able to walk or ride anywhere for help."

"How did you know it was two bodies?"

"Well the one woman had a knife sticking out of her chest and Sally was laying in a pool of blood staring at the ceiling. I remember that much. The blow stunned me but it didn't affect my memory or my ability to think."

"Well, then, did you find anything odd about what you saw?"

"Other than finding two women dead in a kitchen? Yes, the woman I didn't know was laying on a blanket. I found that rather odd."

"So did I. I'm hoping the doc here can figure that out some after he gets a chance to look at the bodies. There were two cups of tea on the table like they was having tea after dinner and then one laid down on the blanket and got a knife through the heart."

Almost in unison, Doctor Martin and Joe asked the same question. "Drugged?"

"Now that was what I was thinking, but we'll have to wait to see what the evidence tells us if there is any evidence to tell us anything. This is a darn peculiar situation. Now where was Hoss during all of this?" Both Adam and Joe bristled at that question. "Boys, you know I gotta ask. Just tell me he was at home so I can put that in my report."

Joe answered. "He was at home with Eric. He still is."

"Well, you see, there was a note. It was on the table. It said only a few words. It said "Justice for my brother" and nothing else. I had to wonder. Now maybe it had something to do with that wanted poster you saw in Placerville. I'm still waiting to hear on that. Adam or Joe, you think of anything else, you let me know. All right, I'm going back to that house to see if Clem found anything more. Adam, you take care now."

Once Roy left, Joe told Adam he would take Sport home with him and bring a carriage back the next morning for him. "You're in no shape to ride home especially in the dark." Paul offered a bed in back for Adam to use and Joe suggested that was the best solution. Joe headed home then to tell the family of the latest developments and to tell them that Adam was hurt but not seriously.

"Joe, don't tell Presha I'm fine. Tell her exactly what you saw and how I talked and looked. She'll be more relieved that way."

Joe agreed and smiled a bit. Apparently Presha had already discovered what Adam's 'fine' meant.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

By the next morning, Roy had a man in custody. He had gotten a wire from Placerville that included the name of a man who had been looking for the woman suspected of killing his brother. Roy and Clem had tracked him down. As soon as he saw the lawmen at his door, he thought they knew he had killed Sally and admitted his guilt. He told them everything that he had seen and done. Roy explained the whole scenario to Adam who explained it to his family when Joe gave him a ride home. He greeted Presha and reassured her that he was fine, but Joe let everyone know that the case had been solved.

"Roy told Adam the whole story. He told me some of it on the way home but said he'd explain it all when he got here."

With a bit of a scowl at having to explain immediately, Adam nevertheless sat down and told the story. "The man's name is Barnabas Donald. His brother was Harland Donald. His brother was a big man and Barnabas couldn't understand how Sally had managed to stab him in the chest to kill him. He thought that even if Harland had fallen asleep, he would have awaken and tried to fight her off. However, he said he's been watching Sally and waiting for an opportunity to confront her. He got it last night because he knew the baby wasn't there, and he stood outside the kitchen window as the two women argued. He said the other woman's name was Myrtle. He doesn't know her last name. She was the mother of Eric and she wanted him back. Sally said that there wasn't any way to get him back from us and that they should be satisfied with the money. Sally asked Myrtle to fix some tea and Barnabas saw Sally put something in Myrtle's cup. Myrtle fell asleep when they drank the tea, and that's when he realized that was probably how she had gotten his brother. She had probably drugged his drink."

Joe interrupted then because he knew the story of Sally and Hoss and how she said they had been intimate. "Hoss, that's probably what Sally did to you."

Dolly nodded because she had the same thought. Hoss didn't want to think about that too much but had to admit it made sense. "She wasn't the woman I thought she was. She was real good at hiding what was in her heart and acting like she felt something different than she felt."

No one disagreed with that. Ben asked Adam to finish the story.

"Barnabas told Roy that it took him a minute to sneak into the house. He got to the kitchen too late to save Myrtle. Sally had apparently planned to kill her. It wasn't an impulse. She had the blanket on the floor and Myrtle laid on it and had stabbed her in the heart just before Barnabas got there. He said Sally was on the floor with her hand still on the knife when he shocked her. He said he knew then how she had killed his brother, and she asked who he was. He said she should know unless she had killed more than once. She didn't say anything more then but reached for a knife on the counter. He shot her before she could get to the knife. He used a paper and pencil that was on the table to leave the note that Roy found. He hadn't planned to do that and realized later that he had pointed the law directly at himself. Roy arrested him but isn't sure he'll be charged. Sally had murdered someone and was going for a knife. She was a wanted woman too. He could claim self-defense and most juries would be sympathetic. It would be difficult to get a unanimous guilty verdict. He may walk."

"Son, what about him hitting you? That had to have been him, wasn't it?"

"He admitted it was, but I told Roy I wouldn't press charges for that. I could understand how scared he was at that point, and he didn't hurt me too much. He could have, but mostly he stunned me. He lost his brother. I don't want to give him any other reason to suffer."

"What about Eric?"

"Roy says that as far as he's concerned at this point, if Hoss is willing to say he's the father, then Eric can stay right here. There is no place else for him to go. He's lost his mother, and we have no way to know who his father is or where to look for him or if he is even alive."

"Hoss, are you willing to do that? Are you willing to accept Eric as your son with all the question marks?"

"Pa, I'm willing. Dolly and me been talking, and we want to raise Eric as our son if it works out."

"Son, what if his father shows up at some point and wants to claim him? That could happen."

"We know that, and we're willing to take that chance. We feel like we need to love that boy right now, and make him feel as loved as any child can be. We think we're the best ones to do that right now."

With as much settled as they could get settled, Adam asked Joe if he would give him and Presha and Thomas a ride home. For the rest of that day, Adam thought about the situation with Hoss and Eric. By the next afternoon, he rode over to speak with his father. Hoss was upstairs with Dolly and Eric so he was able to talk with his father and Joe alone at first.

"We ought to hire detectives to investigate Sally and Myrtle to find out where they were, to find out everything they can about them and about Eric. It would be best to find his father now rather than have a terrible surprise in the future. It could be that Eric's father is dead or doesn't want him. He hasn't found him and Eric must be getting close to a year old. It would be best to get it settled though, don't you think?"

"Why, Adam? Why stir things up? Why not just let it alone?"

"Joe, I think what Adam is saying is to settle it now and not later when Eric would be a part of this family and it would be wrenching to separate him from us. It would be terrible for him and for Hoss and Dolly as well as the rest of us. Better to know it now than to be shocked by it later don't you think?"

"No, I don't think so."

"I do." Hoss was walking down the stairs. "I heard enough to know what you must be talking about. I been thinking on it since yesterday too. We should hire some detectives to find his father if he's to be found. Meanwhile, Dolly and me will still be loving this boy and we'll love him every day that he's here whether it's a month, a year, or the rest of our lives."

"I can go to town and have Hiram begin the inquiry, Hoss, if that's what you want."

Hoss nodded. Adam stood and said he needed to get back home. Joe couldn't help teasing him. "Those six weeks must be up. Older brother looks mighty anxious to get back home to his wife."

Scowling and silent, tired of Joe's teasing about his wife, Adam still had no way to explain to Joe that although the physical relationship that Joe repeatedly teased him about was important, it was being loved by her despite everything that happened that made him anxious to get home every day. To walk through that door and see her smile only because he was there and to slide into bed at night and have her move next to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world was what he needed in his life. It nourished him in ways that nothing else could. Until Joe got into a more mature relationship, he wouldn't understand. Ben put his hand on Adam's shoulder, and as Adam turned to him, he saw his father's smile and wink. His father understood.

"Go home, son. We can handle everything here. You deserve some time with your family now."

"Thanks, Pa. I'll be at home if anyone needs to find me."

Within a month, the family had the rest of the answers. Doctor Martin's autopsies confirmed that Sally had never had a child. The conclusion was that Eric was Myrtle's child. Detectives traced Sally and Myrtle to Sacramento where it was discovered that Myrtle had been assaulted by a miner who had later been killed in a dispute over a mining claim. He was likely Eric's father. It also probably helped explain why Eric wasn't as attached to his mother as he might have been expected to be. He hadn't been as sad to be separated from her as most people expected. She probably loved him but also resented him because he was a constant reminder of what had happened to her. The description of her assailant and Myrtle's explained why Eric looked the way he did. Ben talked with Hoss after they learned all of that news.

"Hoss, are you going to have a problem knowing that you aren't Eric's father now that we know that Sally did not have a child?"

"It's not a problem, Pa. It don't matter how Eric got here. They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. Well this time it was darn peculiar and there was some parts that was downright awful, but the first time I held Eric, I knew he was my son. He's our son now. Ain't nobody ever gonna tell us different. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"No, I'm happy to have Eric as my grandson! I have two grandsons now. Now, when is Joe going to get married and get in on this?"

"I don't know, Pa. He seems happy with a lot of ladies right now. He needs to settle on just one first."

3


End file.
